Refrigerating system



Dec. 17, 1940- E. VOORHEES ETAL 2,225,491

REFRIGERATING SYSTEM Filed-0ct. 24, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I T I a k a 4 3 a 1 3; g m A Eb t4 q Q E a 35 hi Q E Out \ L EDGAR [mom/55 ROLAND a. EWER 3 VENTORS ATTORNEY Dec. 17, 1940.

E. VOORHEES ETAL REFRIGERATING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 24. 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 EDGAR VUURHEES ROLAND E. [WE/r I VENTORS ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 17, 1940 PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING SYSTEM Edgar Voorhees, Kearney, and Roland G. Ewer, East Orange, N. 1., assignors to Worthington Pump and Machinery Corporation, Harrison,

N. 1., a corporation of Delaware Application October 24, 1939, Serial No. 300,922

4 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerating systems, and more particularly to refrigerating systems wherein a volatile refrigerant such as Freon is employed in a closed circuit for cooling or chilling a cooling medium such as water, air or the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a closed refrigerating system which will require a.minimum amount of volatile refrigerant to provide the desired cooling, thus not only lowering the initial cost of refrigerant but also reducing the cost of recharging the system with the refrigerant if it becomes necessary to do so.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a closed refrigerating system in which the volatile refrigerant is constantly in circulation, providing cooling in the evaporator by showering therethrough and consequently maintaining the pressure in the evaporator at a low value due to the absence of accumulated refrigerant therein.

2 A further object of the present invention is to provide in a refrigerating system as above set out a novel type of pump for circulating the refrigerant which pump embodies a relatively large suction chamber acting in effect as an accumulator. for the liquid refrigerant and always maintaining the proper head on the pump. The suction chamber of the-pump opens into the driver or motor housing of the pump, which housing is in turn connected in the refrigerating system at a point in advance of the suction of the compressor of the system, whereby the evaporation of the refrigerant in the suction chamber of the pump will circulate through the motor housing, serving as a cooling medium for the motor and being compressed by the compressor, returning actively into the system.

With these and other objects in view, as may appear from the accompanying specification, the invention consists of various features of construction and combination of parts, which will be first described in connection with the accompanying drawings, showing a refrigerating system of the preferred form embodying the invention, and .the features forming the invention will be specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view, partly in section, of the refrigerating system.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the refrigerant circulating pump.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

the evaporator I is of any approved type of shell evaporator having a plurality of longitudinally extending tubes 2 therein through which the water, air or other'cooling medium to be chilled is circulated, entering the evaporator through the inlet 3 and leaving the evaporator through the outlet 4. In the drawings the evaporator is shown as a multiple pass evaporator for the cooling medium circulating through the tubes, but 5 it is to be understood that any arrangement of tubes or passes found practical may be employed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The volatile refrigerant, such as Freon" or the 10 like, is sprayed or showered into the top of the evaporator I through a plurality of spraying heads 5 and it showers downwardly across the tubes 2.

' The volatile refrigerant, after passing across the tubes 2 of the evaporator l, passes into a 001- 15 lection well 6 and the system is charged and controlled, as will be hereinafter more specifically pointed out, to maintain the refrigerant liquid level at approximately the top or inlet of the collection well 6 so as to prevent accumulation of 20 the liquid refrigerant in the evaporator.

The refrigerant collecting well 6 is connected by a conduit 1 to the suction chamber 8 of the circulating pump structure 9.

As clearly shown in the drawings, the suction 25 chamber 8 of the circulating pump structure 8 is quite large relative to the apparatus in the system, and is positioned so that when the liquid refrigerant therein seeks its level with the liquid refrigerant in the collection well 8 a space indio cated at III will be provided in the suction cham- 'bet 8 above the level of the liquid refrigerant therein.

The suction chamber 8 serves as an accumu lator for the liquid refrigerant and maintains a 35 proper head on the impeller l I of the pump structure. The pump impeller l I discharges the liquid refrigerant through the discharge volute I! of the pump casing l3 and through the conduit ll into the header IS. The spray heads 5 are con- 0 nected to and receive the liquid refrigerant from the header l5.

The volatile refrigerant which evaporates in the suction chamber 8 of the pump structure 8, together with a part of the volatile refrigerant 5 which evaporates in the evaporator l and enters the space ill through the by-pass pipe I6, passes upwardly through the openings ll into the motor housing l8. The motor l8 within the housing I8 is connected to and drives the impeller 50 ll through the medium of the relatively long shaft 20, which passes axially through the suction chamber 8.

The motor housing l8 has a pipe 2| connected to the top thereof, which pipe has its outlet 55 rator I. Thecompressor 23 draws the gaseous or evaporated refrigerant from the interior of the evaporator I through the line 22 and draws it through the motor housing I! through the pipe- 2|, thus causing a circulation of gaseous refrigerant through the motor [9 for the purpose of cooling the motor. The gaseous refrigerant compressed by the compressor 23 is discharged into the refrigerant condenser 24 from which it passes through a trap 25 and connection 26 to the header IS.

The trap 25 also serves as an accumulator for li'qlnd refrigerant from the condenser, and it has a float actuated valve 21 therein which is opened when the level of refrigerant in the trap 25 reaches a predetermined height so as to permit make-up liquid refrigerant to pass to the header l5 for conjunction with the refrigerant delivered thereto by the pipe It for passage through the evaporator I. The float valve structure 21 is set to admit liquid refrigerant to the header I5 only at such time as the quantity of refrigerant actively circulated by the pump 9 through the header I5 and spray heads 5 is diminished below a predetermined quantity, so that the quantity of the refrigerant actively passing through the evaporator I, will always be controlled to maintain the proper chilling action in the evaporator and to prevent accumulation of liquid refrigerant in the evaporator.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific construction or arrangement of parts shown, but that they may be widely modified within the invention defined by the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a refrigerating system in which a volatile liquid refrigerant is evaporated, compressed and condensed, the combination, of an evaporator, a refrigerant pump for circulating volatile liquid refrigerant through the evaporator having a suction chamber, a compressor for compressing the refrigerant vapor, a motor for driving said circulating pump, a housing for said motor open to said suction chamber of said pump for receiving refrigerant vapor therefrom for cooling said motor, and a connection from said housing to said compressor.

2. In a refrigerating system in which a volatile said motor, a connection between said motor 1 housing and said evaporator for delivering refrigerant vapors to the motor housing, and a connection between said motor housing and the suction of said compressor.

3. In arefrigerating system in which a volatile liquid refrigerant is evaporated, compressed and condensed, the combination, of an evaporator, a refrigerant pump for circulating volatile liquid refrigerant through the evaporator and having a relatively large suction chamber, a motor for driving said circulating pump, a housing for said motor open to said suction chamber and receiving refrigerant vapor therefrom for cooling said motor, a connection between said motor housing and said evaporator for receiving refrigerant vapor therefrom, and a connection between said motor housing and said compressor suction whereby the suction action of the compressor will create a circulation of the evaporated refrigerant through the motor housing.

4. In a refrigerating system in which a volatile refrigerant is evaporated, compressed and condensed, the combination, of an evaporator, a refrigerant pump for circulating volatile liquid re- 'frigerant through the evaporator and having a relatively large suction chamber, a driving motor for said circulating pump, said suction chamber being located between the pump and the driving motor and of such area as to provide an evaporation space in the suction chamber above the normal liquid level therein, a housing for said motor open to said vaporizing space in said suction chamber for receiving refrigerant vapor therefrom for circulation through said motor housing. and a connection between said motor housing and the suction of said compressor for drawing the refrigerant vapor through said motor housing.

EDGAR VOORHEES. ROLAND G. EWER. 

